New playground at Challenged Child and Friends dedicated in memory of former student

A new playground at Challenged Child and Friends in Gainesville is fully handicap accessible and is dedicated in memory of a former student, Ada Irene Abbruzzese.

Ada's Playgorund was constructed Saturday with volunteer help, including members of the current Leadership Hall class.

Abbruzzese was born Sept. 11, 2009 with numerous medical problems that included heart and kidney defects, optic disk malformations, and growth hormone deficiency, to name a few, according to a news release from Challenged Child and Friends. Whe she was a year old, Ada weighed just nine pound. Her parents were told she would never walk or talk.

She began attending Challenged Child and Friends and, according to the release, soon was standing with the aid of a walker. Two months before her death on Nov. 17, 2013, Ada had learned to walk while holding the hand of a staff member but without her walker.

The staff is also credited with helping her overcome her fear of the outdoors and the staff promised to build a fully handicap accessible playground for all children "like her," according to the release.

And, that promise became a reality on Saturday with the construction of Ada's Playground.